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Prosecutors will seek death penalty for Oklahoma City father charged with killing 7-month-old son

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty as punishment for an Oklahoma City father accused of killing his 7-month-old son and leaving the body in a trash can.

Victor Manuel Minjarez told police he "bagged up" his son after watching the baby take his last breath, an Oklahoma City police inspector testified Wednesday during a preliminary hearing.

Minjarez, though, maintains his innocence, claiming the boy died after being laid too close to a heater. However, the baby, Jody Minjarez, suffered blunt force trauma to the head, a skull fracture and brain bleeding, the state medical examiner reported.

Minjarez, 31, is charged with first-degree murder and desecrating a human corpse. At the conclusion of Wednesday's hearing, Oklahoma County Special Judge Kathryn Savage found enough evidence to send Minjarez's case to trial.

At trial, prosecutors will seek the death penalty on grounds that the victim's death was heinous, atrocious or cruel and that Minjarez is a continuing threat to society.

Minjarez was arrested March 7, just hours after authorities issued an Amber Alert. Later that day, Oklahoma City police found the victim in a trash can outside a vacant house where Minjarez had been hiding with his son.

That night, police inspector Robbie Benavides questioned Minjarez, who said his son died about a week before.

Minjarez told the inspector he got into a physical fight with the boy's mother on Feb. 19 at her home in Norman and then took the baby. Days later, Minjarez sent a text message indicating the boy's mother "ain't ever going to see my son again. I made sure of that," the inspector testified.

Minjarez told police he stayed at various locations before hiding at the vacant house in Oklahoma City. The house was under construction, and no one was living there at the time.

One cold night, Minjarez and his son were lying on a mattress inside the house. The father said his son was getting sick so he found a heater and put it close to the baby, the inspector told the judge.

Minjarez later woke up and found the baby with blisters all over his face. The father said he rolled the baby over and fell back asleep. In the morning, he found the child making "bubble noises," the inspector testified.

Minjarez said he heard his son say, "Dada," before the baby took his last breath. The father then "smacked" his son a few times to try to wake him up, the inspector told the judge.

Minjarez said he didn't call 911 because he knew he was wanted by the police. The father admitted he then placed his son in the trash, the inspector testified.

A police lieutenant who discovered the victim's body during a search of the vacant house also testified Wednesday. The lieutenant said the victim had been wrapped in a blanket and then was "double-bagged" in black trash bags. Police found another black trash bag containing baby clothes.

Minjarez also was ordered to trial on a second-degree burglary offense.

Kyle Schwab has been a reporter for The Oklahoman newspaper since 2013. He currently covers Oklahoma City courts. He graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a major in journalism. He lives in Edmond.
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